Mary A. Gilbreth
, Ph.D., is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) and Certified Holistic Life & Stress Management Coach (CHLC). She was the first trainer in Arkansas to earn a CPDT and has continued to bring numerous other firsts to the people & dogs of AR. She has hosted several internationally known trainers – Kathy Cascade (TTouch), Theresa McKeon (TAGteach International), and Kay Laurence (Learning About Dogs).
Mary is an avid clicker and positive reinforcement trainer. She promotes better behavior at both ends of the leash through education, behavior change and a whole lot of fun. She offers a practical, gentle and easy to learn method. She works with you and your dog at whatever level is appropriate.
SMART DOGS
offers a variety of services, including:
- Life Skills & Relationship Building for People, Puppies & Dogs
- Therapy Dog Training & Testing for Therapy Dog Certification
- Dog Sports (Agility, Dance, Freestyle, Obedience, Parkour, Rally, Treibball & More)
- Behavior Modification (Aggressive, Anxious, Fearful, or other Stress-Induced Behavior)
- Online Learning (Reading, Video Tutorials, Discussions)
- Conditioning, Body Awareness, Nutrition & Wellness, Trick Training, Seminars, Movie Nights, Field Trips & More!
Certifications
Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT), Certified Holistic Life & Stress Management Coach (CHLC), Fear Free Certified Professional, Dog Sport Judge, Canine Hoopers World Instructor, Level 2 TAGteach Certified, CAP-1, Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, Therapy Dog Evaluator, Member of PPG AABP APDT
Specializations
Mary is a specialist in preventing & modifying aggressive and fearful behavior. She is well-versed in canine and human behavior, relationships, training, wellness & nutrition.
Training Methods
Mary uses force-free, fear-free, science-based reinforcement training methods. She is committed to effective, force-free, fear-free, constructional and reinforcement methods, tools, teaching & lifestyle.
Customer Reviews
Laura RickettsCharleston, AR:
“I thought my relationship with my dogs was good before SMART DOGS. I am amazed at the change. The SMART DOGS’ way has put the spark back into my two senior dogs’ eyes. It has given two shy girls more confidence. SMART DOGS is an awesome training school and its right here in the River Valley.”
Kelly Kastel, Angel Jager & Lola VBS:
“…Outside of the many classes and skills Mary has taught us, I am more so appreciative for the sense of community and connection provided at SMART DOGS. Mary herself has always gone above and beyond to provide information and resources that have advanced my understanding and overall care of my pets. When one of our pets was diagnosed with bone cancer, Mary was at the ready no matter what questions I had and connected us with the best lifeline we had during the process. I really cannot express how grateful I am for the life lessons and resources provided by Mary and the SMART DOGS family. She has welcomed us since day one – always making me and my pets feel confident in all she teaches us – and we are a forever loyal SMART Dog family!”
Deborah Grodecka CPDT CDBC, Hannah P-CRO-III VIS & Jackson CRO-I: “As a dog training professional myself, I have first-hand experience with training centers and trainers throughout the country. Unequivocally, SMART DOGS is one of the best…Mary adds her deep appreciation and understanding of a dog’s heart and soul…and I also travel a long distance myself to bring my own dogs there to train. It is worth every mile driven and dollar spent. Mary has helped me sharpen my own training skills and to ‘see’ my dogs more clearly as the amazing individuals they are. I am extremely grateful for everything Mary has taught me, and my dogs Hannah and Jackson are equally grateful! Thank you so much, Mary.”
Meagan Price, Atlas CRO-I & Daisy:
“★★★★★ We LOVE SMART DOGS and Mary! She is one amazing woman! I’m so thankful for her guidance and patience with me. Working with my dogs has been such an eye opening experience for me, not just in training, but in self awareness. I don’t think I ever would have learned so much about my personality, behavior and habits if it weren’t for the last few years at SMART DOGS.
I’m also most grateful for the bond she taught me to nurture with my first sweet fur baby and now, another one! I would recommend her to anyone with a dog! I think we all can learn from her program and take something special away from it. I’m looking forward to many more classes at SMART DOGS and watching my dogs excel in all that we do!!”
Celeste Wheeler, Lexi P-CRO-II & Angus:
“I appreciate Mary’s instruction. Always the right mix of compassion and no nonsense. I have had dogs my entire life (almost 60 years) and was surprised to discover how little I actually understood about them before coming to SMART DOGS. I originally had two goals in mind – getting Angus to come when called and to help him build some confidence in new situations. We accomplished these goals, but more importantly the training helped us develop a stronger and happier relationship. The connection is better, the understanding is better and we all – dog and humans are having more fun!”
Margaret Thiele:
“Working with Mary and our two 6 year old miniature schnauzers has been an unbelievable, eye opening experience. A few months ago we could not even take a walk without generalized chaos every time our girls encountered any people, or worse yet, another dog. Two days ago, 8 construction workers gathered in the street didn’t even earn a second look! We now have one very confident learner who was once a timid little thing who didn’t like to eat, until Mary, in her very subtle way, suggested a new raw diet. And her big sister, who was scared of her own shadow, is working on being a champion on the agility course. Our thanks and gratitude to Mary for making the humans realize we had so much to learn.”
Social Media Links
SMART DOGS facebook page, youtube, Vimeo, or WordPress
